From the “mammy” and “jezebel” to the “magical negro” and “tragic mulatto,” these onscreen portrayals have consistently reinforced racist ideas all while negatively shaping how mainstream (read: non-Black) audiences perceive Black lives in real life. Despite the many achievements and progress that Black entertainers have amassed, those archetypes have still found their way in various television and movies, positioning Black characters in service to white storylines–which only threaten to flatten our complexity with every line.
It’s because of that, that we decided to round up a handful of the worst examples of these tropes that we’re over and done with seeing in Hollywood. While we know us calling it out won’t immediately erase these works, at least by pointing out the patterns–we can hopefully demand and create better representation moving forward.